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Hundreds of Boston Dynamics employees urge company to halt $1.3 million ICE robot deal
Workers at the Waltham robotics company have appealed to executives to stop a deal supplying four modified Spot robots to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Their concerns add an internal challenge to protests already mounted by advocacy groups.
Hundreds of Boston Dynamics employees are urging the Waltham-based company to stop a $1.3 million deal that would provide U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with four modified robotic dogs.
In a letter to senior executives, employees said they were uncomfortable with the arrangement and warned it could damage the company’s reputation and workforce. The letter’s contents were shared publicly on Oct. 23, 2026. The available details do not specify whether executives have responded or whether the company will change course.
Boston Dynamics is supplying its Spot robots through Radeco, a Connecticut company. The units are to be modified with equipment including a robotic arm, thermal camera and sensors for explosive materials. Radeco calls its modified version Cerberus, after the mythical guardian dog.
The deal has also drawn opposition from advocacy groups. Demonstrators protested outside Boston Dynamics’ headquarters in Waltham on Oct. 15, including members of the De-Ice Action Network.
The employees’ appeal brings the dispute inside the company, as questions about the use of commercially developed robotics by federal enforcement agencies draw scrutiny from workers and community advocates alike.